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Math Video Has Over 172,000 Views on YouTube
Mr. Sweeney has made six math music videos to help kids better understand and remember math concepts. His videos have become quite popular on YouTube.
By Matthew Rueter
News Editor
Students in colorful costumes depicting various math symbols walk arm in arm, then chase each other around the school. Next, they dance in a classroom — all while a parody of the popular song “Thrift Shop” plays in the background.
This situation may sound odd, but it is actually a scene from one of math teacher Mr. Sweeney’s popular videos about graphing lines.
Mr. Sweeney has made six math music videos to help kids better understand and remember math concepts. His videos — which cover the topics of factoring, graphing, slope, derivative rules, solving equations, and the quadratic formula — have become quite popular on YouTube.
“Graph Shop” — a parody of the song “Thrift Shop” — about graphing lines has more than 172,000 views.
When he started designing videos ten years ago, Mr. Sweeney mostly focused on writing the song lyrics and did little work on the video element. Since then, Mr. Sweeney’s videos have progressively become more elaborate.
Mr. Sweeney estimates that he has dedicated at least a hundred hours to making his recent videos.
The first step in the process of making a video is one of the most time consuming: picking a popular song that he can parody.
Once this is done, he writes the new lyrics for the song, records the music, records the video that will go along with the music, and then edits his video. Students and fellow teachers, including history teacher Mr. Robison, science teacher Mr. Prontnicki, and math teacher Mrs. Hoynak, have all played a role in some of his videos.
Junior Emily Martin had a blast acting in Mr. Sweeney’s video called “Uptown Factoring.”
“I was really happy and really excited,” she said of her involvement. “Filming was one of the most fun things I [did] that year.”
Mr. Sweeney says that his videos are helpful to students, since “there are things you need to remember in math and having a hook to remember it is very helpful.”
“Some kids have come back ten years later and still remember the quadratic formula from the music alone.”
Sophomore Thomas Rebar agrees that the videos have been a big help: “If I didn’t watch that video, I might not have understood factoring.”
The video Thomas is referencing is called “Uptown Factoring,” which is based on the song “Uptown Funk,” and is Mr. Sweeney’s most recent video. Published one year ago, it already has more than 22,000 views on YouTube. It also is Mr. Sweeney’s favorite, and his most elaborate one yet.
People outside of Woodlynde have taken note of Mr. Sweeney’s work: he has had students who are new to the school tell him that they have been shown his videos at their old school.
Woodlynde students and teachers also enjoy Mr. Sweeney’s videos. “I love them,” Assistant Head of School Mrs. Shank said. “I think they are extremely creative. I think they are a valuable way for students to learn math.”
Further, senior Ethan Javage said that the videos “are funny and they show that math isn’t always boring.”
Mr. Sweeney said he would like to make a new video this year, but he hasn’t found a suitable song to use yet. Still, a new math video should be on the way soon.
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Woodlynde School is a private, co-ed college prep day school located in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that serves intelligent, talented students with learning differences in grades K - 12. Woodlynde provides a comprehensive, evidence-based Kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school program in a challenging yet nurturing environment for students with average to above average cognitive abilities (IQ) who have language- or math-based learning differences (such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia or Dyscalculia), Executive Function Challenges, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Auditory Processing Disorder. Even for those students without a diagnosed learning disability (LD), Woodlynde offers expert and caring teachers in small classroom settings that support academic success. Woodlynde School also offers a post-graduate (PG) program in partnership with Rosemont College as well as a regional Summer Camp for students who learn differently.
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